Synopses & Reviews
Winner of the 2016 Governor General's Literary Award for Young People's Literature — Illustrated Books
Tokyo lives in a small house between giant buildings with his family and his cat, Kevin. For years, highways and skyscrapers have been built up around the family’s house where once there were hills and trees. Will they ever experience the natural world again?
One day, an old woman offers Tokyo seeds, telling him they will grow into whatever he wishes. Tokyo and his grandfather are astonished when the seeds grow into a forest so lush that it takes over the entire city overnight. Soon the whole city has gone wild, with animals roaming where cars once drove. But is this a problem to be surmounted, or a new way of living to be embraced?
With Tokyo Digs a Garden, Jon-Erik Lappano and Kellen Hatanaka have created a thoughtful and inspiring fable of environmentalism and imagination.
Review
"In this haunting modern-day fairy tale from newcomer Lappano, nature, long pushed out of a city, pushes back." Publishers Weekly
Review
"A challenging 21st-century fable sure to spark discussions." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"...a thing of beauty." The New York Times
About the Author
Jon-Erik Lappano is an environmental educator, storyteller, and creative producer with curiosity and a love of all things wild. He lives in Guelph, Canada, with his young and growing family. This is his first book.
Kellen Hatanaka is a designer and illustrator who lives in Toronto, Canada, with his wife, Kiersten. He is also the author and illustrator of Work: An Occupational ABC and Drive: A Look at Roadside Opposites.